The Government shares responsibility for the rise of far-right movements, which have exploited the ongoing housing crisis, according to People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger, reports Breaking News.
“If there wasn’t a 12-year housing crisis, the far right wouldn’t have the same platform it does now,” said the Dublin representative.
“The Government has failed to tackle the crisis and instead handed control of housing over to the private sector, which is providing fuel for the far right, reports Breaking News.
“We’ve had people arriving to work or seek refuge here, and the Government has made them scapegoats. Take the Justice Minister, for example — he has repeatedly issued statements about these chartered deportation flights. These are staged to project a tough stance on immigration, serving as Government propaganda,” reports Breaking News.
Ms Coppinger also said that far-right presence has grown both online and in public life since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’re in an international climate where the far right is surging in nearly every country,” reports Breaking News.
“In Ireland, we’ve seen far-right groups, provocateurs, and individuals exert major influence on social platforms and public discourse. Conspiracy theories are rampant, and with many of these individuals, there’s no engaging in reasonable debate. The pandemic accelerated this rise. The authoritarian measures introduced during Covid were weaponised by the far right for propaganda purposes, and that served as a gateway into racism for many,” reports Breaking News.
In an interview with BreakingNews.ie, Ms Coppinger said political life has become more perilous across the board.
After threats were directed at Tánaiste Simon Harris and his family, concerns about the security of politicians and activists have increased, both in Ireland and abroad. Last week, US conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered.
“Anyone involved in politics or activism is facing a very dangerous environment. Globally, things have become more hostile and violent,” reports Breaking News.
The Dublin TD also revealed she’s had to alter how she interacts with constituents and now implements security procedures before meeting members of the public at her office.
“I have had meetings, but I would always run a security plan before those meetings, which I would never have had to do five years ago. We used to have public meetings all the time, but now we have had to put different things in place because we learned the hard way. Meetings can be disrupted deliberately, attempts can be made to spark a reaction to annoy people so they do something so that these people can video and put online. Everyone has to be screened, you wouldn’t let anyone into your constuiency office without checking who they are. Most people have security installed. It doesn’t stop me, I still carry on doing what I am doing, but you do have people coming up to you a lot more making remarks which they wouldn’t in the past. You just wouldn’t have open clinics or public meetings the way you would before. That openness you used to have is having to go,” reports Breaking News.
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